Straight Restoration Candidate?

[Rico DE]

This is one of my antique store acquisitions. I’ve done a number of DE restores, but this will be my first straight restore. My plan is to clean & polish it up, then send it out to a recommended honemeister.
I wanna wait till my skills are improved before I start to try ruining blades.

This is the dirtiest razor I have. And also the one with the most damage to the blade. The others are much cleaner and in better condition. I figgered I do the worst one first. Is this a good choice for restoration?

If I don’t have to, I’d rather not take the scales off.
I read somewhere that someone soaks the blade in CLR for an hour or so to remove a lot of the rust and then starts to clean & polish.

In pipe restoring, you cover any markings on the stem with Vaseline before soaking it in Oxyclean so the markings aren’t removed while soaking. Could I coat the scales in Vaseline before soaking it in CLR? Or would it be easier in the long run to just remove the scales?

If I take the scales off, where can I get replacement pins or screws? (I heard that screws are better 'cause they’re easier to remove if you have to take the scales off later.)

(So much information, such a confused brain!)

Also, Dico Buffing Compounds were recommended in one article. But when asked about buffing compounds, both Home Depot & Lowes directed me to the auto cleaning section. No one else seems to know what it is, or if they do, it has to be ordered with at least a 7-day lead time.
Online ordering takes about the same time.

Anyone have other recommendations for another product or know where it can be found in Southern NH?

I do have Meguiar's ScratchX 2 that I use on my truck - would that work?

Thanks,
Rico

(These pics are after a cursory "Scrubbing Bubbles" cleaning to remove any major gunk.)

 

[Sando]

I recently restored a Spike in similar condition to yours and it came out great.
The only possible hangup on yours that I see is the heel of the blade. Can't quite tell from the pic if it'll hone out.
It's not completely necessary to remove the scales but search the Resto how-to's for pinning and etc ideas.
I'm not sure what CLR will do to the scales so I'd avoid using it.
I'd do another soak in scrubbing bubbles letting it get down into the scales around the pin.
Then use a light oil or WD40 and some w/d sand paper and you'll be good to go. Get as much rust, etc off before sending out for honing.
It's not a particularly valuable razor so I think it's a good choice to practice on.
She'll do you right when cleaned and honed.

 

[Chaloney]

The dico buffing compounds can be found at some ACE hardware stores. HarborFreight also has buffing compounds--look near the sandpaper.

 

[Rico DE]

Sando,
Thanks for the tips.
I’ll take another wade through the How-tos.

Chaloney,
None of the Ace stores in the area have them in stock.
They have to be ordered with at least a 7-day wait time.
I’ve got a Harbor Freight about 8 miles away, I’ll be sure to check it out.
Thanks!

Rico

 

[Rico DE]

Chaloney,

I found some at Harbor Freight.
I haven’t used buffing compounds before, so don’t know anything about them. Are the grits & colors standard across all brands, or do they differ? Do I get the same color compounds as in the Dico brand? I don’t know how or if the different brand compounds compare

 

[seattleshaver]

I have a razor like that. I don't know if the plastic is celluloid. If it is you don't want to soak it. I think to think these razors are a little more modern and so it might just be modern plastic and maybe light soaking is OK.

In general I don't soak straight razors. Gets some Mothers metal polish at any hardware store and just use a paper towel and rub it on the blade. Keep doing it until no more black comes off. After that just hone it.

If you took the scales off and have experience with some sort of buffing wheel you just keep taking metal off until you have ground away all the rust. This is only necessary if you are going for a mirror like finish.

I just use Mothers and honing and live with whatever is left. I don't take the scales off unless I'm rescaling or unless a washer is missing. It looks like there is pitting along the edge so some honing on lower grits will be necessary to remove some metal before setting the bevel.

 

[Rico DE]

Thanks seattleshaver,
I'll give mothers a try, see how it looks & go from there.

Rico

 

[seattleshaver]

Mother's and Q-tips goes a long way and a little Ajax mixed with a little water and wiped on (and off) plastic scales does wonders without harming them.

 

[Rico DE]

The ink on the Spike imprint is mostly gone. Can it be filled in again?

Rico

 

[Sando]

The ink on the Spike imprint is mostly gone. Can it be filled in again?

Rico

Sure. Spread some black paint into the letters and wipe off the excess.